:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45148760/usa-today-8279258.0.jpg)
If you're a Toronto Raptors fan and you play fantasy basketball, chances are you took a swing for Kyle Lowry early in your draft this year. Maybe you were lucky and snagged him in the second round or perhaps you traded for him shortly after. Either way, a lot of Raptors fans who play fantasy hoops found a way to get their boy Lowry on their squads and the results have been incredible.
Lowry's been the 11th-ranked player in nine-category leagues to date this year (according to Basketball Monster), exceeding even the highest expectations by the biggest Raptors homers. Here's his well-rounded stat line:
| Kyle Lowry | 9-Cat Rank | Points | Threes | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | FT% | Turnovers |
| 2014-2015 | 11th | 20.7 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 7.7 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 45.2% | 81.0% | 2.3 |
The points, rebounds, assists, and field goal percentage all represent career highs, while his minutes (34.5), free throw percentage, and three-pointers made are all among the best marks he's ever posted as well. Put simply, this has been the best season of his career.
He's basically been a winning lottery ticket for his fantasy owners this year, but now might be exactly the right time to cash that ticket in. With DeMar DeRozan's return only a few days away, Lowry's value is not likely going to stay this high much longer.
Just take a look at how Lowry's numbers in the 16 games prior to DeRozan's injury compare with those in the 17 games since:
| Kyle Lowry | 9-Cat Rank | Points | Threes | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | FT% | Turnovers |
| First 16 Games | 21st | 18.6 | 1.6 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 45.0% | 79.6% | 1.6 |
| Last 17 Games | 7th | 22.7 | 1.9 | 4.4 | 8.8 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 45.4% | 82.3% | 2.9 |
Lowry had a 23.7% usage rate and attempted 13.8 field goals per game during the first 16 games with DeMar in the fold and those numbers have skyrocketed to 29.2% and 17.8 respectively in the 17 games that the Raptors have played without DeRozan. Those are huge bumps that are almost certainly going to normalize once DD rejoins the Raps and they have to lean a little less on Lowry. It might not be right away, but betting on at least a slight Lowry regression would be pretty safe at this point.
Of course, Kyle should still maintain the solid early-round value he was posting prior to DeRozan's injury, so you shouldn't be selling him just for the sake of it. You should be targeting first-round assets and nothing less, considering that's exactly what Lowry has been for you for the past month or so.
How does LeBron James' owner feel about the injuries and pedestrian start for the King (by his standards, of course)? Is Kevin Durant's owner growing tired of how he's coming in and out of the lineup due to health concerns? Are the owners of Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, or DeMarcus Cousins properly rating their assets?
Who knows what you can manage to get for Lowry, especially if there are other Raptors homers in your league. Shoot for the moon and see what happens.
Of course, if you play daily fantasy basketball, keep tossing Lowry in your FanDuel lineups with confidence until the wheels fall off (and if you want to try FanDuel for the first time, you can always click here to sign up and get a nifty 100 percent first time matching deposit bonus up to $200 when you use the promo code SBNRAPTORS). His $9,900 price is more than worth it for a guy that has averaged 42.9 fantasy points per game over his last 10.
So, what are you doing with Lowry? Selling him for a high return? Holding him and settling for a slightly less valuable version of him for the rest of the season? Buying him from an owner who fears the DeRozan return a little too much? Jump into the comment section and let us know!
*Note: Even though this is a sponsored post with affiliate links, all of the opinions in this post are my own. And as an FYI, FanDuel gave me some cash to play its daily fantasy games.